Despite requesting a last-minute change to slightly enlarge the building, developers of a Flossmoor Buona Beef restaurant Monday won unanimous approval from village board members.
The chain, which specializes in Italian beef and sausage sandwiches, plans to build a 3,920-square-foot restaurant on an outlot at the Meijer superstore.
restaurant. Company officials are hoping to locate the
establishment adjacent to the Meijer store at Crawford
Avenue and Vollmer Road. (Provided image)
Despite requesting a last-minute change to slightly enlarge the building, developers of a Flossmoor Buona Beef restaurant Monday won unanimous approval from village board members.
The chain, which specializes in Italian beef and sausage sandwiches, plans to build a 3,920-square-foot restaurant on an outlot at the Meijer superstore complex at Crawford Avenue and Vollmer Road. It would be built just north of the existing BP gas station.
A proposal by 6801 Investments LLC, the project’s developer, also calls for a second building to be built on the same outlot sometime in the future. That 4,500-square-foot structure would be constructed just west of Buona Beef.
Village board members approved the plan for a planned unit development and special use permit for both the Buona restaurant and the future building. However, they are expected to take a future vote on an amendment to the ordinance that was approved Monday.
That’s because the developers, in their presentation, surprised board members by asking for a change in what was to be the final plan for the restaurant.
Architect John Hague said his clients recently decided they want to extend about half of the restaurant’s southern wall by five feet further than was specified in the original plan. Extending the wall would allow a few more tables inside the restaurant, he said.
Even with the change, Buona’s plan would still be in compliance with village building codes. However, village trustees were faced with having to approve a plan that was slightly different from what was recommended to the board by the village’s plan commission, which voted in favor of the Buona proposal following a Jan. 5 hearing.
Village Attorney Edward McCormick said the ordinance before the board at Monday’s meeting would need to be amended to reflect the change. After the board approved the ordinance, McCormick said he would prepare an amendment, which can be voted on at a future meeting.
With the plan approved, Buona can now apply for building permits from Flossmoor’s Inspectional Services Department. If all goes well, those permits can be approved in about a month. Developer Tim Hague said it will take about 16 weeks to complete construction once it starts.
Buona Beef, a family-owned business, currently has 18 restaurants in the Chicago area. The company also has a thriving catering business and owns two Gino’s East pizza restaurants, Hague said.
Other Buona restaurants sell beer and wine. Hague said liquor accounts for less than 1 percent of all company sales. It’s likely that Buona will request a liquor license for beer and wine at the Flossmoor restaurant, he said.
Meijer owns five outlots and plans to develop them for retail establishments. The Buona project marks the first time that a Meijer outlot is being developed in Flossmoor.
